---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: If we claim heritage in Bacon…"
description: "\"If we claim heritage in Bacon, Shakespeare and Milton, we also acknowledge that it was for liberties guaranteed Englishmen by sacred charters our fathe..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/78f/chauncey-depew-24733_acknowledge_if-we-claim-heritage-in-bacon-shakespear_211997.jpg"
---

#  If we claim heritage in Bacon, Shakespeare and Milton, we…

![“If we claim heritage in Bacon, Shakespeare and Milton, we also acknowledge that it was for liberties guaranteed Englishmen by sacred charters our fathers triumphantly fought. While wisely rejecting throne and caste and privilege and an Established Church in their new-born state, they adopted the…” quote by Chauncey Depew](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/78f/chauncey-depew-24733_acknowledge_if-we-claim-heritage-in-bacon-shakespear_211997.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/78f/chauncey-depew-24733_acknowledge_if-we-claim-heritage-in-bacon-shakespear_211997.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/78f/chauncey-depew-24733_acknowledge_if-we-claim-heritage-in-bacon-shakespear_211997.jpg)

> “If we claim heritage in Bacon, Shakespeare and Milton, we also acknowledge that it was for liberties guaranteed Englishmen by sacred charters our fathers triumphantly fought. While wisely rejecting throne and caste and privilege and an Established Church in their new-born state, they adopted the substance of English liberty and the body of English law.”

[Chauncey Depew](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chauncey-depew/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Emphasizes that English liberty and law stem from historic charters, urging recognition of their origins while rejecting old hierarchies.

**In simple terms:** English freedom comes from historic charters, not old hierarchies.

Key Takeaway

Recognize and uphold historic freedoms.

Themes

heritage liberty law reform rejection of privilege

Mood

reflective inspirational critical

Type

historical political educational

When to use this quote

- legal reform debates
- educational curricula
- political speeches
- citizen rights discussions

Key Concepts

charters constitutional development social equality

Questions to Reflect On

- How do modern societies benefit from historic charters?
- What challenges arise when rejecting traditional institutions?

A Different Perspective

The quote assumes all readers share the same historical perspective, which may not hold universally.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Acknowledge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/acknowledge/) [Acknowledge Liberties](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/acknowledge-liberties-2186041/) [Adopted](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/adopted/) [Body](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/body/) [Born](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/born/) [Castes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/castes/) [Charter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/charter/) [Church](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/church/) [Claim Heritage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/claim-heritage-2186040/) [Claims](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/claims/) [English law](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/english-law/) [English Liberty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/english-liberty-764167/) [Englishmen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/englishmen/) [Englishmen Sacred](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/englishmen-sacred-2186039/) [Father](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/father/) [Freedom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/freedom/) [Heritage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/heritage/) [Ifs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ifs/) [Law](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/law/) [Liberties](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/liberties/) [Liberty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/liberty/) [Milton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/milton/) [Our father](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/our-father/) [Parenting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/parenting/) [Privilege](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/privilege/) [Rejecting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rejecting/) [Sacred](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sacred/) [States](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/states/) [Substance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/substance/) [Thrones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thrones/)

## Related quotes

> [And I take this opportunity to declare, that... I will to my dying day oppose with all the powers and faculties God has given…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-otis/and-i-take-this-opportunity-to-declare-that-i-will-to-my-dying-day/)

[James Otis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-otis/)

> [Now, one of the most essential branches of English liberty is the freedom of one's house.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-otis/now-one-of-the-most-essential-branches-of-english-liberty-is-the-2/)

[James Otis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-otis/)

> [Now one of the most essential branches of English liberty, is the freedom of one's house. A man's house is his castle; and while…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-otis/now-one-of-the-most-essential-branches-of-english-liberty-is-the/)

[James Otis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-otis/)

> [One of the most essential branches of English liberty is the freedom of one's house. A man's house is his castle.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-otis/one-of-the-most-essential-branches-of-english-liberty-is-the-freedom/)

[James Otis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-otis/)

> [The one great principle of the English law is, to make business for itself. There is no other principle distinctly, certainly, and consistently maintained…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-dickens/the-one-great-principle-of-the-english-law-is-to-make-business-for-2/)

[Charles Dickens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-dickens/)

> [The one great principle of the English law is, to make business for itself. There is no other principle distinctly, certainly, and consistently maintained…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-dickens/the-one-great-principle-of-the-english-law-is-to-make-business-for/)

[Charles Dickens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-dickens/)

> [The one great principle of English law is to make business for itself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-dickens/the-one-great-principle-of-english-law-is-to-make-business-for-itself/)

[Charles Dickens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-dickens/)

> [In the supposedly enlightened eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, parental indifference, child neglect, and raw cruelty appearedamong Europeans of all classes… In mid-nineteenth- century France,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/letty-cottin-pogrebin/in-the-supposedly-enlightened-eighteenth-and-nineteenth-centuries/)

[Letty Cottin Pogrebin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/letty-cottin-pogrebin/)

> [It is the glory of English Law, that its roots are sunk deep into the soil of national history; that it is the slow…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-jenks/it-is-the-glory-of-english-law-that-its-roots-are-sunk-deep-into-the/)

[Edward Jenks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-jenks/)

> [English law in 1572 decreed that beggars above 14 years of age are to be severely flogged and branded on the left ear unless…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-marx/english-law-in-1572-decreed-that-beggars-above-14-years-of-age-are-to/)

[Karl Marx](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-marx/)

> [It was not long before English Law took the one step needed to produce the modern scheme of legal remedies. And when it did,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-jenks/it-was-not-long-before-english-law-took-the-one-step-needed-to/)

[Edward Jenks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-jenks/)

> [If the prosecution of crime is to be conducted with so little regard for that protection which centuries of English law have given to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/learned-hand/if-the-prosecution-of-crime-is-to-be-conducted-with-so-little-regard/)

[Learned Hand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/learned-hand/)

> [The air of England is too pure for a slave to breathe, and so everyone who breathes it becomes free. Everyone who comes to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-murray-1st-earl-of-mansfield/the-air-of-england-is-too-pure-for-a-slave-to-breathe-and-so-everyone/)

[William Murray, 1st Earl of Mansfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-murray-1st-earl-of-mansfield/)

> [“For there is no true equivalence between languages, and English law differs from civil law in both its genesis and its practice.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jovan-autonoma-evi/for-there-is-no-true-equivalence-between-languages-and-english-law/)

[Jovan Autonomašević](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jovan-autonoma-evi/)

> [“So conceived, the English police force served to emphasize a fundamental truth about the English law, which is that it exists not to control…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-scruton/so-conceived-the-english-police-force-served-to-emphasize-a/)

[Roger Scruton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-scruton/)

## More by Chauncey Depew

> [My dinners have never interfered with my business. They have been my recreation. . . A public banquet, if eaten with thought and care,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chauncey-depew/my-dinners-have-never-interfered-with-my-business-they-have-been-my/)

[Chauncey Depew](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chauncey-depew/)

> [Force was the factor in the government of the world when Christ was born, and force was the source and exercise of authority both…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chauncey-depew/force-was-the-factor-in-the-government-of-the-world-when-christ-was/)

[Chauncey Depew](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chauncey-depew/)

> [Follow the path of the unsafe, independent thinker. Expose your ideas to the dangers of controversy. Speak your mind and fear less the label…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chauncey-depew/follow-the-path-of-the-unsafe-independent-thinker-expose-your-ideas/)

[Chauncey Depew](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chauncey-depew/)

> [When Franklin drew the lightning from the clouds, he little dreamed that in the evolution of science his discovery would illuminate the torch of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chauncey-depew/when-franklin-drew-the-lightning-from-the-clouds-he-little-dreamed/)

[Chauncey Depew](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chauncey-depew/)

> [As for food, half of my friends have dug their graves with their teeth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chauncey-depew/as-for-food-half-of-my-friends-have-dug-their-graves-with-their-teeth/)

[Chauncey Depew](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chauncey-depew/)

> [It's pleasant to hear these nice words while I'm still alive. I'd rather have the taffy than the epitaphy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chauncey-depew/it-s-pleasant-to-hear-these-nice-words-while-i-m-still-alive-i-d/)

[Chauncey Depew](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chauncey-depew/)

> [I get my exercise acting as a pallbearer to my friends who exercise.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chauncey-depew/i-get-my-exercise-acting-as-a-pallbearer-to-my-friends-who-exercise/)

[Chauncey Depew](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chauncey-depew/)

> [Neither realism nor romance furnishes a more striking and picturesque figure than that of Christopher Columbus. The mystery about his origin heightens the charm…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chauncey-depew/neither-realism-nor-romance-furnishes-a-more-striking-and-picturesque/)

[Chauncey Depew](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chauncey-depew/)

> [It is a pity that instead of the Pilgrim Fathers landing on Plymouth Rock, Plymouth Rock had not landed on the Pilgrim Fathers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chauncey-depew/it-is-a-pity-that-instead-of-the-pilgrim-fathers-landing-on-plymouth/)

[Chauncey Depew](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chauncey-depew/)

> [But the closer we study their lives, and the better we know their deeds, the more profound is our admiration and the greater our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chauncey-depew/but-the-closer-we-study-their-lives-and-the-better-we-know-their/)

[Chauncey Depew](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chauncey-depew/)

> [The enjoyment of life would be instantly gone if you removed the possibility of doing something.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chauncey-depew/the-enjoyment-of-life-would-be-instantly-gone-if-you-removed-the/)

[Chauncey Depew](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chauncey-depew/)

> [There are millions of stories in the world, and several hundred of them good ones.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chauncey-depew/there-are-millions-of-stories-in-the-world-and-several-hundred-of/)

[Chauncey Depew](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chauncey-depew/)

> [The government of the United States is and always has been a lawyer's government.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chauncey-depew/the-government-of-the-united-states-is-and-always-has-been-a-lawyer-s/)

[Chauncey Depew](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chauncey-depew/)

> [The spirit of Columbus hovers over us to-day.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chauncey-depew/the-spirit-of-columbus-hovers-over-us-to-day/)

[Chauncey Depew](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chauncey-depew/)

> [It was for Columbus, when the right hour struck, forced and propelled by this fresh life, to reveal the land where these new principles…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chauncey-depew/it-was-for-columbus-when-the-right-hour-struck-forced-and-propelled/)

[Chauncey Depew](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chauncey-depew/)

[Explore all 24 Chauncey Depew quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chauncey-depew/)

## More Acknowledge quotes

> [Black music has always known, and not been afraid to acknowledge just how high the stakes of Black thought are. To summarize the final…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-b-wilderson-iii/black-music-has-always-known-and-not-been-afraid-to-acknowledge-just/)

[Frank B. Wilderson III](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-b-wilderson-iii/)

> [I'm a Christian because Christianity names and addresses sin. It acknowledges the reality that the evil we observe in the world is also present…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-held-evans/i-m-a-christian-because-christianity-names-and-addresses-sin-it/)

[Rachel Held Evans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-held-evans/)

> [The only way to ease our fear and be truly happy is to acknowledge our fear and look deeply at its source. Instead of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-only-way-to-ease-our-fear-and-be-truly-happy-is-to-acknowledge/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [On Thanksgiving Day we acknowledge our dependence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-jennings-bryan/on-thanksgiving-day-we-acknowledge-our-dependence/)

[William Jennings Bryan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-jennings-bryan/)

> [You can't go into games with any fear. You can acknowledge a good team but you can't go in worrying.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/reece-james/you-can-t-go-into-games-with-any-fear-you-can-acknowledge-a-good-team/)

[Reece James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/reece-james/)

> [Conservative feminism is such an artificial term that doesn't mean much to me. For me conservatism means accepting reality. I acknowledge that there are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kristina-schroder/conservative-feminism-is-such-an-artificial-term-that-doesn-t-mean/)

[Kristina Schroder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kristina-schroder/)

> [We must acknowledge that bearing and raising children is not some pesky, peripheral activity that we engage in, but the whole point.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-maushart/we-must-acknowledge-that-bearing-and-raising-children-is-not-some/)

[Susan Maushart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-maushart/)

> [When we pray, we must begin by conceiving God in full and vigorous images, but we must go on to acknowledge the inadequacy of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/austin-farrer/when-we-pray-we-must-begin-by-conceiving-god-in-full-and-vigorous/)

[Austin Farrer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/austin-farrer/)

> [Acknowledging foolishness is a very powerful and important experience. We could almost say that being willing to be a fool is one of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chogyam-trungpa/acknowledging-foolishness-is-a-very-powerful-and-important-experience/)

[Chogyam Trungpa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chogyam-trungpa/)

> [Actually, when I look at my old notebooks, I think I have been a bit self-indulgent and have given myself too much time to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/natalie-goldberg/actually-when-i-look-at-my-old-notebooks-i-think-i-have-been-a-bit/)

[Natalie Goldberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/natalie-goldberg/)

> [I would like, then, to end by putting in a good word for the non-industrious poor. At least they aren’t hurting anyone. Insofar as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-graeber/i-would-like-then-to-end-by-putting-in-a-good-word-for-the-non/)

[David Graeber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-graeber/)

> [No one seriously doubts Socrates' maxim: The unexamined life isn't worth living. Self-assessment and attempts at self-improvement are essential aspects of "the good life."…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-a-burton/no-one-seriously-doubts-socrates-maxim-the-unexamined-life-isn-t/)

[Robert A. Burton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-a-burton/)

> [As objects of contemplation, images of the atrocious can answer to several different needs. To steel oneself against weakness. To make oneself more numb.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-sontag/as-objects-of-contemplation-images-of-the-atrocious-can-answer-to/)

[Susan Sontag](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-sontag/)

> [It is in the measure that special methods acknowledge their common core in transcendental method, that norms common to all the sciences will be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernard-lonergan/it-is-in-the-measure-that-special-methods-acknowledge-their-common/)

[Bernard Lonergan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernard-lonergan/)

> [I can hear of the brilliant accomplishments of any of my sex with pleasure and rejoice in that liberality of sentiment which acknowledges them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abigail-adams/i-can-hear-of-the-brilliant-accomplishments-of-any-of-my-sex-with/)

[Abigail Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abigail-adams/)

[Browse all 1,475 Acknowledge quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/acknowledge/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "If we claim heritage in Bacon, Shakespeare and Milton, we also acknowledge that it was for liberties guaranteed Englishmen by sacred charters our fathers triumphantly fought. While wisely rejecting throne and caste and privilege and an Established Church in their new-born state, they adopted the substance of English liberty and the body of English law.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Chauncey Depew"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chauncey-depew/if-we-claim-heritage-in-bacon-shakespeare-and-milton-we-also/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Acknowledge"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chauncey-depew/if-we-claim-heritage-in-bacon-shakespeare-and-milton-we-also/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/78f/chauncey-depew-24733_acknowledge_if-we-claim-heritage-in-bacon-shakespear_211997.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/78f/chauncey-depew-24733_acknowledge_if-we-claim-heritage-in-bacon-shakespear_211997.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/78f/chauncey-depew-24733_acknowledge_if-we-claim-heritage-in-bacon-shakespear_211997.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“If we claim heritage in Bacon, Shakespeare and Milton, we also acknowledge that it was for liberties…” — Chauncey Depew",
                "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                "creator": {
                    "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                }
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "Chauncey Depew",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chauncey-depew/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "If we claim heritage in Bacon,...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chauncey-depew/if-we-claim-heritage-in-bacon-shakespeare-and-milton-we-also/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chauncey-depew/if-we-claim-heritage-in-bacon-shakespeare-and-milton-we-also/#breadcrumb"
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
